Psalm 40…The Lord Inclines: (Part 1)

November 26, 2010 at 5:54 pm (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Holy Spirit, Joy, Life, Lighter Burdens., Love, Our Unchanging God, Patience, Praise, Restoration, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, The Greatest Commandment, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Originally posted on June 7, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Over the past few months I have written from time to time some things I learned as I looked at Psalm 40. I came across this psalm while I was having a panic attack. I first started suffering from them in May…probably as a post traumatic stress response to some very hard situations that I and my family had been enduring for quite sometime  ( See “Transitions” in the column on the left). I have decided to re-post them starting with part one.

Scripture References;

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.  Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.  Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.  Psalm 40 KJV

Recently I have been struggling with fear. Last Saturday morning I was running some errands with my husband and I began to struggle again. The panic attacks would come and go. I was sitting in the van while my husband went in the post office and I pulled out one of those pocket sized New Testaments that also have the Psalms, and decided to read for a few minutes. I came across  Psalm 40. It was such a comfort to me. That evening I just had to read it again. I thought I might examine it verse by verse and share what comes to me.  I have spent the last 2 days on verses 1-4. I hope to continue in the upcoming days, and have decided to break it into parts. Below is Part “one”.

¹I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Well, it is hard to know how the Lord measures patience, but I have been waiting a lot lately (especially these last couple of weeks), not by virtue of being one who is characterized by patience, but I have been waiting, because the Lord  has put me in a place where I don’t really have much choice. I have also been doing some crying. Now I didn’t look up “cry” to see what the Hebrew meaning was. It might have meant “calling out” or “sobbing” or “both”. I  have done both and sometimes both at the same time…Enough about me. The Lord “inclined unto David”, and as I prayerfully read this psalm I felt like the Lord inclined to me, and heard my cry, too. I believe He does this for all who call on Him.

²He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Now this verse really comforts me.  I can visualize a pit with slimy sides, and how helpless and afraid one would be if they were in one. One can stumble and fall in one, or an enemy could capture you and throw you in one.  As I read on through the rest of the Psalm David spoke of both enemies and his own iniquities. Often times we find ourselves wondering about difficult and scary situations in which we find ourselves. Sometimes they are the result of our own sin, sometimes they are forms of persecution as a result of our obedience, but a lot of times we just aren’t sure because even on our best day we still sin. That is why I am so thankful that Christians today have much in common with so many of God’s people who are written about in the Bible. We must not forget that Jesus was the only one who never sinned.

The Lord also set David’s feet on a rock. He will also do this for us when we call on Him if we have placed our saving faith in Him. We cannot sink into a rock. Look at John 10:29: “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” His hand is as solid as a rock. In fact one of His names is “The Rock”, and the Bible teaches that not only is He in believers, but believers are also in Him…so “His Hand” is “The Rock”.  The enemy may slap us around a little, but he cannot pluck us out of the Father’s hand. In fact as soon as we are saved the Lord Himself places us in His hand, and there we forever reside:

4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 KJV

This is something He alone does. To me this describes the nature of salvation. Where our walk is concerned, we can find ourselves  in various kinds of pits, but like David, we can cry out to the Lord and at the time the Lord thinks is best He will lift us out of them.

The Lord established David’s goings, and he has established the goings of all his children.

³And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

As I read this I find myself asking the question, “What kind of song did he have in his mouth while he was in the pit?” Well, it sounds like it wasn’t a praise song; maybe it was a sad song  he was pouring out in despair to the Lord. David’s tune was changed, and David didn’t change it. It says that “God” put a new song in his mouth…and as a result, “many” “have” seen it, and feared and trusted in the Lord. The Lord can do the same for us and the effect will be the same when He does it. Even if it happens when you think you are alone, you really aren’t; you are surrounded by a cloud of many witnesses who already trust the Lord, and I’m sure they will rejoice.

⁴Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

“Blessed”…I looked this word up in my Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to see what the Hebrew meaning of that word was as it was used in that particular verse. It said that it meant “happy” and often was used as an interjection.

“maketh the LORD his trust”… “maketh” is a word in this phrase that interests me. If we “maketh” then we DO have a choice in whom we will trust, but only those who choose to trust the “LORD” will be be happy.

“and respecteth not the proud”…God is Love or “Charity” (1John 4:16), and love is not proud or “puffed up” ( 1 Corinthians 13:4). Whenever we start to water down our trust in the Lord, so it is partly in the Lord and partly in someone or something else (including self, that old “arm of the flesh”), we have ceased to trust in the Lord, and  have become a respecter of proud things.  When that happens the Lord will have to re-educate us so we will remember that trusting in mixtures is futile, and that all glory and honor and “respect” are to be given to Him, and Him alone.

“nor such as turn aside to lies”…there are so many lies that God’s children can be tricked into believing. Satan loves to tell them. There is no way that I could list them all, so instead I will focus on the fact that another one of Christ’s titles or names is “The Truth”, We should be so thankful for that. If we have received the Lord, the Truth resides in our hearts, but our minds need to be renewed daily, so the truth will be present in our thoughts, too. Paul advised the believers at Rome to:   “ Do not be conformed to this age,  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will  of God.(Romans 12:2 HCSB)…so the opposite of “turning aside to lies” is obviously to turn to the Savior, and allow our minds to be renewed through prayer and study of the Bible, the word of truth.

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